How Irish potato creates wealth, employment in Hunkuyi

Production of Irish potato in Hunkuyi did not start overnight. It took years before the farmers could master the processes of cultivating the root-vegetable. Patience and endurance of the early Hunkuyi Irish potato farmers led to the prominence of the rounded-yellowish-tuber-vegetable, which is among the favourite in the menu of many households in Nigeria.The perseverance […]

Production of Irish potato in Hunkuyi did not start overnight. It took years before the farmers could master the processes of cultivating the root-vegetable. Patience and endurance of the early Hunkuyi Irish potato farmers led to the prominence of the rounded-yellowish-tuber-vegetable, which is among the favourite in the menu of many households in Nigeria.
The perseverance of the early farmers in surmounting the difficulties encountered, Daily Trust learnt, has resulted to the creation of wealth and employment opportunities for many youths of Hunkuyi through the production of Irish potato.
Hunkuyi, according to the findings of Daily Trust, now supplies Irish potato to Zaria in Kaduna state, Katsina, Kano and other neigbouring states.
“You may recall that prior to recent development, Irish potato consumed in most parts of North-west and other areas of Nigeria were coming from Jos, Plateau state.  Jos used to be the hub of production of Irish potatoes, but we are now gradually coming up.
“We now take our Irish potato to different parts of the country, and traders from different areas also come here to buy Irish potato and other fruits and vegetables. This is an exciting development because it has now opened different opportunities for us,” Isa Ibrahim, a farmer of Irish potato, told Daily Trust at his farm in Hunkuyi.
Other farmers interviewed explained that production of Irish potato has helped to curtail rural-urban migration.
“Our youths have no reason now to move to the cities during dry season. This dry season farming is greatly helping us. We are now living at home because we would have something doing here. We moved to cities before because during dry season we would have nothing doing.  You know, staying at home is more convenient for us. It gives us opportunity to take care of ourselves, families and aged parents,” Danasabe Shehu, a resident of Hunkuyi, said.         
Motorists who regularly ply the Zaria-Katsina road usually stop over at Hunkuyi to buy Irish potato and other vegetables as gifts for family members and friends. One of such motorists explained that Hunkuyi’s Irish potato is unique.
“Irish potato found here is relatively cheaper. It has a unique taste and my wife usually encourages me to buy my Irish potato from here. This is why I usually stop here to buy Irish anytime I am going home, Katsina. I think government should encourage this type of initiatives. This is how we would fight poverty, unemployment and even insecurity,” the motorist who gave his name as Ja’afar Mustaph said.
According to Isa Ibrahim, cultivation of Irish potato is very simple but needs adequate attention, fertilizer and watering.
“The process of producing Irish potato is very simple. All that one needs to do is to buy the potato, depending on the size of one’s farm. Each piece of potato can be cut into two or three pieces. A farmer has already cleared his farm and has constructed his ridges. Then these pieces of Irish potato would be planted in the ridges with each piece in a different hole. After about twenty days, the seedling planted would start growing leaves. That shows that they have started maturing and the planting was successful.
“A farmer would then continue to water his Irish potato every week, and after three to four months it would be ready for cultivation. During this period, a farmer would apply fertilizer at least twice depending on the nature of his field. If a farmer follow this process with adequate and regular cultivation of his farm, the outcome of his harvest would be wonderful,” Ibrahim said.  
Ibrahim explained that even at a time when Irish potato’s market is not at its best, a farmer can use a local way in storing his Irish potato.
“A farmer can use long dried grasses to spread them on the floor of a room. After that he can carefully spread his potatoes. That way, a farmer’s potatoes can stay for two to three months without any problem,” Ibrahim said.
As Hunkuyi is gradually becoming a Mecca of a sort for Irish potato, the expansion of Hunkuyi Dam would greatly help in eradicating the water scarcity that sometimes hinder irrigation activities in the area, farmers said.